The new balance of power
There were doubts about the Lakers when the season started. Shaq was out with a questionable future and Kobe was finding it hard to win games by himself. But, forget about all that now. Shaq is back in full-force and no one wants to play the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
By Bill Ingram Sports Central Columnist
The Dallas Mavericks seemed to have a date with destiny when the season started. They sprinted out to a 14-0 record and have held the NBA's best record ever since, but as the season winds down and the games start to really count, the Mavs are beginning to lose their grasp on their elite status. Last Thursday night, a new giant emerged... the one that has been waiting to wake up and win a fourth-straight title.
As good as the Mavericks are, they have no consistent low-post threat. They play a run-and-gun offense that few teams can even keep up with, but we all know that when the playoffs start the run-and-gun teams have to resort to half-court sets. On Thursday night, the Mavs had a chance to try out their half-court offense, and they were less than pleased with the results. Looking to make a statement against the visiting Lakers, the Mavs fell victim to the most dominant player in the game. Shaquille O'Neal scored 31 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and even hit 9-of-12 from the free-throw line in a 100-89 Lakers' win.
The league is catching up with the Mavericks, and if Dallas isn't careful, they will fall victim to a shift in the NBA's balance of power. The San Antonio Spurs have been breathing down the necks of the Mavs ever since the All-Star Break, and with two weeks left in the regular season, San Antonio sits just a game back of their I-35 rivals. Just behind the Spurs sit the Sacramento Kings, who still have a slim chance to lock the best record in the league if the Spurs and Mavs don't take care of business. For Dallas, the top spot is their only insurance against what would surely be a disastrous date with the defending champion Lakers.
Coming into the weekend, the Lakers are just a game behind sixth-place Utah. The sixth-place team goes against the third-place team, which would be the Mavs if the Spurs overtake them. On the other hand, if the Mavs win the Midwest but don't finish ahead of the Kings, they would hold the No. 2 seed and face the seventh-seed, where the Lakers sit right now. Don Nelson would much rather face the eighth-seeded Suns in the first-round and put off a potential meeting with the Lakers until the Western Conference Finals, but they have to hang onto the best record to do that.
The only two teams that have a prayer of beating the Lakers in a seven-game series (and they're all seven games now) are the Spurs and Kings. A seventh-place finish would likely win the Lakers a date with the Kings, who are the most likely candidate to end the championship reign for L.A. If the Lakers can manage a first-round matchup with the Mavericks, watch out. The balance of power is precariously balanced, and everything will depend on the final games of the season.
The playoffs are coming. No one is assured of a favorable spot. Every game counts. This is what April is all about. Let's enjoy the roller coaster!
Article courtesy of Sports Central.
The Dallas Mavericks seemed to have a date with destiny when the season started. They sprinted out to a 14-0 record and have held the NBA's best record ever since, but as the season winds down and the games start to really count, the Mavs are beginning to lose their grasp on their elite status. Last Thursday night, a new giant emerged... the one that has been waiting to wake up and win a fourth-straight title.
As good as the Mavericks are, they have no consistent low-post threat. They play a run-and-gun offense that few teams can even keep up with, but we all know that when the playoffs start the run-and-gun teams have to resort to half-court sets. On Thursday night, the Mavs had a chance to try out their half-court offense, and they were less than pleased with the results. Looking to make a statement against the visiting Lakers, the Mavs fell victim to the most dominant player in the game. Shaquille O'Neal scored 31 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and even hit 9-of-12 from the free-throw line in a 100-89 Lakers' win.
The league is catching up with the Mavericks, and if Dallas isn't careful, they will fall victim to a shift in the NBA's balance of power. The San Antonio Spurs have been breathing down the necks of the Mavs ever since the All-Star Break, and with two weeks left in the regular season, San Antonio sits just a game back of their I-35 rivals. Just behind the Spurs sit the Sacramento Kings, who still have a slim chance to lock the best record in the league if the Spurs and Mavs don't take care of business. For Dallas, the top spot is their only insurance against what would surely be a disastrous date with the defending champion Lakers.
Coming into the weekend, the Lakers are just a game behind sixth-place Utah. The sixth-place team goes against the third-place team, which would be the Mavs if the Spurs overtake them. On the other hand, if the Mavs win the Midwest but don't finish ahead of the Kings, they would hold the No. 2 seed and face the seventh-seed, where the Lakers sit right now. Don Nelson would much rather face the eighth-seeded Suns in the first-round and put off a potential meeting with the Lakers until the Western Conference Finals, but they have to hang onto the best record to do that.
The only two teams that have a prayer of beating the Lakers in a seven-game series (and they're all seven games now) are the Spurs and Kings. A seventh-place finish would likely win the Lakers a date with the Kings, who are the most likely candidate to end the championship reign for L.A. If the Lakers can manage a first-round matchup with the Mavericks, watch out. The balance of power is precariously balanced, and everything will depend on the final games of the season.
The playoffs are coming. No one is assured of a favorable spot. Every game counts. This is what April is all about. Let's enjoy the roller coaster!
Article courtesy of Sports Central.
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